We had a FUNraiser (and a FUNDraiser) last night. We showed not one
but TWO great cycling films, and in the process we raised $1145 for
our charity partner, Food for People's Backpacks for Kids program.
We were able to make use of the historic Arcata Theater Lounge
for our viewing pleasure.
Our first film of the evening was Mama Agatha. It's a great story that was ripe for the telling just now: Immigrants + women + empowerment + bicycles. I was honored to be able to screen it, particularly since we got so much help with our event from Bikesthere.com and other local bike advocates.
And the main event - 3089 Miles Across America - was also well-received. It's the story of the 2016 Race Across America . This year's movie focuses on the solo field. I actually showed up in the credits, since I'd been an official, which was kinda neat.
I thought that the film made RAAM look a little prettier than it is in real life - you've not really "done" RAAM until you've not showered for four days, fixed a bike part you didn't know existed with duct tape, cleaned THAT (yes, probably what you think, if not worse) off of your shoes, and had a long, er, conversation with your racer about why they really can't ride on the wrong side of the road.
Lots of folks came out to watch. I knew most of them. And I knew someone who knew the rest of them - that's Humboldt for you. The big surprise of the night was talking to Deb Waxman from Food For People - she was stoked to see the film because her brother had been on one of the Chew Crews in the late 1990's - something that I'd never have known if we'd not done the film screening.
We did some Q & A afterwards, and left energized by all of the community support. Big thanks to our sponsors - Bikesthere.com, Los Bagels, and Kinetic Coffee. Also to the Arcata Theater Lounge staff, who went above and beyond to help us pull this off.